With the Yamaha upright the lid is open. With the Kawai it’s closed. This comparison is faulty. Great pianist though! Thanks for the great performance.

Just purchased a new Kawai K500 as a late beginner to early intermediate piano learner. ❤ I fell in love with Kawai tone when I started learning on my teacher’s Kawai grand piano. I was used to Yamaha digital pianos/keyboards for a long time but now going to be a proud owner of a K500z My first ever acoustic piano 🥳 I really love the Kawai mellow tone and quality. It usually shows more in person.

I purchased a K 5 in 2012 and just love it. Not only tremendous resonance with the soundboard facing you, and it maintains its tonal quality. I admit I play it daily, and I love to look at it, and cannot believe I am able to interact with it, especially since I began piano study at age 58. The Kawai is a real gem!. The combination of a great instrument and a motivated student is a great combination.

I grew up with a ‘64 Yamaha U3, always loved it, still do.

Both great pianos!

I don't know. I prefer this particular U3 to this particular K500 in terms of overall balance, clarity, a bit more crystalline treble and so forth. But, another U3 to K500 may have me with a different preference. Contrary to those that think only top tier grands differ from one another in terms of tone, I think all pianos can differ despite the consistency of quality and performance Yamaha and Kawai are known for. There are differences piano to piano both brand new and used. Go with your preference and know these are high quality instruments. Enjoy them.

Both are equal me.Beautiful sound.kicking my heart.💖

I’m a real Kawai fan - I own a Shigeru Kawai SK3. However, out of these 2 uprights I preferred the Yamaha as having a clearer treble and a more precise sound. But 2 other examples of the same models could have a different result . I think it’s acknowledged fairly widely that the Kawai action is superior and the longer key sticks will allow better control. The player here was able to get at least as good a performance from the Yamaha though - perhaps because of his experience. The answer is to play both side by side and see which one keeps you coming back to play it.

Que escolha cruel e difícil. ❤ duas marcas consagradas e de qualidade extrema na perfeição. Feliz escolha pra vocês. 🎉

Both are great, but the U3 has a brighter, vivid sound.

The Kawai has a warmer tone and killer bass. Very nice!

Hi, what is the name of the 3rd piece he played on this video? Thanks!

I have Yamaha C3 and it is just amazing piano. I was a big fan of Kawai RX but Yamaha C3 was very easy to play and sound was very precise and clear.

I'd go with the Kawai every time. Also Yamaha bass strings used to have a reputation for not lasting that long. Kawai sounds more like a "real" piano in my opinion. It's great if you get a good Yamaha but out of ten pianos you've got a much better chance of getting a "sweet" one from Kawai I reckon and I've played quite a few of both. (I also think a big upright is kind of cooler than a moderate size grand).

Thanks for trying guys but I think maybe this was not properly setup up well for recording? The twanginess and harshness others have commented on - also an issue for me is the reverb when they're just talking it's quite telling.

Kawai has the crisp and mellow tone.

Bought my Kawai k500 in June. No regrets!

I want one of each, please

How are Yamaha YUS5 and Kawai K800 different ?

I like these guys. I had an older U3 and I switched to vintage Steinway grand and let me tell you, the Yam gave it a run for the money and I missed it for a long time. It was bold, complex and dynamic whereas the Steinway is more subtle and took time to learn how to play it. I wish I had kept both.

They both sound amazing, but I preferred the yamaha, the bass on the kawai was too deep but anyways, what about the feurich 133 concert I heard its a good upright isn't it? I'd love to hear what you think.

I thought U3h is discontinued..which U3 is that??

I am not a musician and am definitely not a piano player. Walked in a music shop about 10 years ago and hit some random keys on different pianos. Somehow, I just fell in love with the sound that came from the Kawai brand which I don't know how to describe but it was memorable. I thought if I ever learn how to play the piano I would buy a Kawai. Not sure all that carbon thing will last like the traditional wood pianos which have been known to last for decades.

As a pianist and piano tuner! I prefer Kawia mellenium III carbon fibre action! Why dosnt Yamaha do carbon fibre? It’s so much better. And hammer wise they sound very similar

I owned an old Yamaha U30BI 2nd hand for more than 20 years without doing much research at that time. Now I tried to find this model but not much luck. Some site said BI indicated not made in Japan. If anybody know anything about U30BI, please share here

i have to say i'd prefer something in between soun wise

I watched it 3 times and in my opinion Yamaha sounds nicer and softer

Usually, the Kawai has some more harmonics, but this one was net perfect tuned so you would not hear that.

Yamaha sounds like a bit digital piano but Kawai has a clear piano sound.

@13:38 both Yamaha and Kawai make higher end uprights then these 2 lol. Cmon guys!

What’s the song at 7:08? Love it😊

It's interesting, I love yamaha sound in this video, however I love kawaii sound in reality.

Hi, Do you get the K500 model for the current year just like your car? Is the year of make engraved on the upright? Thanks!

I think the Yamaha sounds much nicer but having the lid open on the Yamaha and not on the Kawai does affect the sound/tone. The Yamaha has a clearer crisp tone and round bass but the Kawai has a deeper powerful bass due to longer bass strings. I think the lower tenor does sound nice on the Kawai but thats about it. The Kawai does have a weird resonance like its out of tune in the tenor though

Would have been a Fairer review with both lids off or on, as suited.

08:16 anybody know that song? TIA!

At 7:45, what happened to the tuning on those two notes around or near middle-C? Yikes!

These vids depend a lot on how the piano is mic'ed and how the piano is placed. Tough to tell, but Kawai low end sounds richer and a little less muddy below C4. I read the Kawaii uses mahogony hammers and carbon fiber so the action should be quicker, but I doubt it is perceptible to an average person (like me).

One has the lid open, one has the lid closed... that would've made a huge difference!!! Not a fair comparison.

Which action do you feel matches the keyboard of a Steinway concert grand piano? Not every pianist can practice at home for competitions or concerts on a Steinway grand with a heavy keyboard and hammer lift off any grand piano. Does the carbon improve or detract from this?

I have a Yamaha U3 and it is a gem, except that if I move, it may not pay to take it with me. Is there a digital piano that is at all comparable from Yamaha, Kawai, or Casio?

can someone please tell me the song at 8:17 !!! thank you so much

better than these two in the upright class, Kawai K800?

It sounds like the Kawai has more resonance, and an overall better sound. But sadly the Yamaha was too bright, and what seemed to be microphoned better in this recording. I love Yamaha, but I believe even with the lesser microphone quality on the Kawai it still sounded better. They were both beautiful and sounding well worth the money.

U3 is perfect for Jazz.

yamha U3 amazin

I'm just not able to warm up to the sound of the Kawai. It has a bell sound on the initial attack, but then fades into a kind of weak and muffled sound.As an owner of a Yamaha MP100, I've got some bias. I just don't understand the Kawai positivity.

9:15and8:17

The Yamaha is in much better tune than the Kawai. Unfortunately this makes it difficult to compare.

No offense to either of these guys... I love their reviews and I've watched plenty of them but why are they acting like the U3 and K500 are the best of the best upright pianos that you can get and there's no possible upgrade except for moving up to a 6ft+ grand piano? What about the Kawai K600 and K800? Surely there's equivalent Yamaha's to the K600/800 too. Also, what about Boston by Steinway? Or straight up Steinway. Bechstein, etc. I feel like this video is slightly (every so slightly) disingenuous.

Yamaha: sweet and gentle.Kawai : big sound.

You need to K500 to YUS3. Please be fair

I don't understand how these even compare, I would say the K500 is far superior. it feels more like the Yamaha YUS3. the U3 still has acrylic key tops, where the K500 has Neotex. completely different touch.

The Kawai seems to be more sensitive to input therefore leaving the performer to be more concerned with subtle passages. The Yamaha is a lot more forgiving in that respect but this also means that the performer has to strive to think in terms of leaving more 'space' between string strikes Vs. worrying more about pressures. From a performance perspective I think the Yamaha has the edge. From a listener's or purist's perspective, of course, the Kawai has more balance in tone out toward the edges of its spectrum. However, very few pianists are able to play in a balanced way, especially consistently/repetitively. For a perfectionist, which many are, the Kawai would become psychologically tiring over time because one is not always able to justify why this try didn't feel like last try or the try three days ago, etc. As a recording instrument, I give the Yamaha edge. The Kawai, to my ears, comes across more like a digital piano with sensitivity set to max which, in the day and age where computer sample based products are everywhere, doesn't have any hair on it - ie there is almost no board/key sound to it and the strings don't blend together as much, both things which otherwise would tell the listener ''This is a real piano being captured by a real microphone in a real room being played by a real human being'' but in the Kawai's case don't. Yes, it is possible to make a real thing be unrealistic. I'll be honest, I am a Yamaha fanboy but I will admit that each string on the Kawai sounds better than each string on the Yamaha. That said, better in this comparison is not better. A Ferrari is technically better than many other sports cars but, in every day usage, it is also more likely to get you killed and make you super paranoid of bad and even ''normal'' road conditions which kinda takes a lot of the fun out of driving. Not all of us want to risk it all every single time just for that 1 in 10 times we do.

it s misleading to say carbon fiber action...

I wouldn't say these are "top tier". I'd reserve that for the European models. That said, these are great solid pianos.

Yamaha es más dulce,mas redondo...kawai suena más metalico

somethings wrong with the mic sound on the younger guy, sounds terrible almost hurting my ears its so harsh.

Yamaha is superior to me. More consistent and clear. Kawai sounds "old", maybe with more variation between regions, but more "tired".

Not really a good comparison video when both pianos are out of tune, the Kawai is worse than the Yamaha. If I was doing a comparison video I would make sure that both pianos were fine tuned before hand.

Kawai sound bit out of tune in some notes, overall Kawai is better for my opinion

Yamaha sound bether..More balanced between bass and treble....and more brillant..

I would prefer the Yamaha over Kawai Not sure if it's just me but Kawai in general has a "plasticky" sound

Lots of vanilla plain jane triads hanging out in one key.. Eeegad! So have another cat around as well who can put some hipper sounds through those instruments. Because if you ain't hearing a more disonental chromatically altered harmonic vocabulary as well you just don't actually know how those instruments sound in the end.

The kawai sounds nasty and twangy to me. 😅😅

Sounds horrible, dunno if it's the piano or the recording. Sounds like a pop piano mode on a digital instrument. I'm shocked.

U3 is better

The U3 is a “top tier piano”? Seriously?

As with almost piano comparisons on KZfaq, largely uncritical and the pianos are not in tune.

Both pianos are out of tune.

Both are poor Chinese Pianos! Get a better one like Steinway or Blüthner

One very important question for me which is a deal breaker if it is the wrong answer. What are the sharps and flats (black keys) made of - plastic or wood?

I actually hate YAMAHA because it is sooo soft!!!! Like a teacher would demand that you play the 2nd part of Fur Elise softly (pianissimo) then play rhe 4th part like you're angry (forte)....you get the technique in some stiff key old upright piano with some german name brand piano & really hear the difference in volume & timbre (that's w/o cheating with una corda) but it's ALWAYS ALL MESS UP IN A YAMAHA GRAND PIANO!!! whether you lightly flick the key or slam it!!! It sounds the same BECAUSE IT IS SOOO SOFT!!!so y'all saying KAWAII & YAMAHA action are THE SAME!!! SO DOES THAT MEAN THEY'RE BOTH SO SOFT THAT A TEACHER WHO'LL SAY TO GET STIFF WEIGHTED ACTION WILL EVENTUALLY GET ANNOYED WITH A STUDENT WHO WILL DEFINITELY NEVER GONNA GET THE TECHNIQUE WITH EITHER OF THEM⁉️⁉️⁉PLEASE GIVE CLEAR DESCRIPTION WITH THE KEY ACTION!!! Seriously NO PIANO TEACHER GONNA RECOMMEND A STUDENT TO GET A BRIGHT TONE OR WARM TONE PIANO (parent can't distinguish that unless they play piano themselves) what needs emphasis in piano review is the STIFFNESS of the keys action before what the quality of the sound because the key action is the only thing that's going for piano!!! If I or any teacher for that matter don't care about the action, then there's no need to bother parent to get an expensive piano & I'll just tell them I don't care about your flat hand formation with your stiff pinky nail staring at me like exorcist & just buy the cheapest soft spring Casio keyboard with 100 tone FOR ALL I CARE!!!